VIDEO: Projections show if we don’t do more to flatten the curve now, we could experience upwards of 60,000 new COVID-19 cases a day in Canada. Flattening the curve in hotspots involves understanding who in those neighbourhoods are most affected by COVID-19, says Dr. Farah Mawani, an epidemiologist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Mawani adds the data shows that low-income people and racialized people are most affected by COVID-19 in the GTA, and many of them are in work situations that prevent them from protecting their safety. Resourcing the public health system to ensure we have capacity for testing, contact tracing, supports for people to isolate as necessary and supports such as paid sick days are key measures that would help protect people most affected by COVID-19, says Dr. Mawani.
